Rail car threshold construction



March 12, 1940. L. GEARY ,193,194

RAIL CAR THRESHOLD CONSTRUCTION Filed March 26, 1937 IN VENTOR.

Frederic 7i L. gearg BY W p ATTORNEY.

I Patented Mar. 12, 1940 UNlTE STATES grant Am 'i ifi nan. can. THRESHOLD CONSTRUCTION vania Application March 26, 1937, Serial No. 133,105

4 Claims. (01. 105-404) p the parts being secured together through gen- The invention relates to rail car constructions and more particularly to the threshold construction of the doorway openings of baggage cars or the like.

It is an object of my invention to provide a construction in this region well adaptedto take i the heavy localized impact loads incident to the transferring of baggage or any heavy objects into or out of the car; to provide such a construction which will readily fit in with existing weight of the car, which in this instance, is

preferably of a light weight construction built out of light gauge sheet metal of high tensile strength and adapted to be assembled by spot welding. I

I attain these objects by strongly interbracing the threshold sill extended across the bottom of the doorway opening with the bottom sill of the side frame, and I accomplish this in the form of the invention shown by a vertically deep beam structure extending across the threshold region and formed by interconnecting the threshold sill and bottom Sill by a vertical plate extending longitudinally through the thresholds and tying in this reinforced beam structure with the closely spaced floor beams whereby they mutually reinforce and interbrace each other; Other and further objects and advantages and the manner in which they are obtained will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionwhen read in connection with the appended drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 represents a partial side elevation of the carbody embodying the invention, parts of the outer sheathing or paneling being broken away. i p a I Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view of the structure of Figure l at the bottom of a door post, with parts in front broken away to show parts in rear thereof.

Figure 3 is across sectional View on enlarged scale taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows at the end of the section line.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along 50 the line 4-- l of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows at the end of the section line.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the

side frame of the car is of the usual trussed construction embodying bottom and top chords and 55 vertical and diagonal webs connecting the chords,

erous gussets located at the joints.

In the present embodiment the bottom chord of the truss comprises a Z-section bottom sill it) on which are founded the vertically extending door posts ll arranged at the opposite sides of the doorway opening, the door posts and thediagonals l2 extending upwardly from the bases of the door posts being secured to the bottom sill ill by the generous gussets l3 overlapping the outer upwardly extending arm of the sill and the lower ends of the door posts and diagonals and secured thereto by spot Welding.

As shown in Figure 4, the door posts comprise box-section structures built up out of flanged channel members it closed by cover plates l5 spot welded to the flanges thereof and it is to .these outwardly extending flanges that the gussets l3 are also spot welded.

In the assembly, the gussets are ordinarily sub-assembled with the posts and this sub-assembly is then brought together in the final assembly with the other elements of the structure.

to the side frame in the manner to be subsee quently described.

In the final assembly the threshold sill 26 running from post to post at the floor level andof upwardly facing channel section is secured through its inner side wall to the vertically eX-j tending arm of the throughrunning angles l! as by spot welding. Its outer side wall is spot welded to a plate 2i of relatively thick gauge to enable it to take shear loads interconnecting it with the'bottom sill I II, the plate overlapping the vertically extending arm of the bottom sill and secured thereto by spot welding.

This vertical extendingv plate strongly reinforces and supports the threshold sill on the bottom sill and the ensemble produces in effect a deep vertical beam which is capable of resisting the strong localized impacts to which it is subject in the loading or unloading of heavy pieces of baggage or the like. The construction is such.

r 9 Since the door posts are widely by reason of the openness of the joints, as to lend itself throughout to, ease of assembly by spot welding.

The threshold sill may be further reinforced to make it in effect a box section structure by telescoping within it an inverted channel 22 and spot welding the side walls of the channels together. Access may be had for this spot welding operation through holes, one of which is indicated at 23, provided in the bottom of the channel 22. After the parts are so assembled, the bottom flanged channel moulding strip 24 and the corrugated outer sheathing 25 are applied in the usual manner. The bottom moulding strip 2 5 is a through running strip and adds further to the strength of the bottom chord of the side wall truss and the beam structure extending through the threshold.

It may be pointed out that the reinforcing plate interconnecting the top and bottom threshold sill 2B and the bottom sill H1 is shown in the instant construction as consisting of a separate plate 2i shorter than the width of the door opening, this plate being extended through the threshold by the projecting ends 26 of the gussets 13. The ends of the plate are strongly secured to the projecting portions 26 of the gussets'by a plate 2'! overlapping both these members and strongly secured thereto by spot welding. This joint forms the gussets and the separate plate 2!, in effect, a continuous plate extending through and beyond the threshold. It will be understood that the extensions 26 of the gussets 13 are connected to the outer side wall of the threshold sill 20 and to the upwardly ex tending arm of the sill ID in the same manner as the plate 2|. It will be understood that under some conditions of manufacture, it may be desirable to form the gussets l3 and plate 2il all out of one piece.

The floor beams 59 in the doorway opening rest uponthe side sill It and are strongly secured to the vertical plate 2! by angle gussets 28 spot welded through one arm to a floor beam and through the other, to the plate 2 l Thus the vertically deep floor beams and the vertically deep beam structure formed by the sill ill, plate 2i and threshold sill 23 and extending through the threshold mutually reinforce and interbrace each other, the beam extending through the threshold providing a strong anchorage for the ends of the floor beams and the floor beams stabilizing the plate 21 against buckling undervthe heavy impact loads to which it is subject.

While I have herein described a preferred form of carrying out my invention, it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art which still fall within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a rail car construction, a through-running longitudinally straight bottom side sill arranged some distance below the floor level, a longitudinal floor supporting member, vertical posts founded on said sill and rising on the opposite sides of a doorway opening, said longitudinal member being secured to the inside faces of the posts a threshold sill of hollow cross section secured through one side thereof to the longitudinal member and through its other side wall to 'a vertical extension of the side sill.

2. In a rail car construction, a side sill, posts rising from said side sill at opposite sides of a doorway opening, a threshold sill member of vertically presenting channel section extending between said posts with the vertical sides of the channel substantially in the planes of the outer and inner faces of the posts, and means supporting said threshold sill through its outside vertical side wall from the side sill and through its inside vertical side wall from a through running floor stringer secured to the inside of the posts.

3. In a rail car construction, a through-running longitudinally strai ht side sill, door posts rising therefrom at opposite sides of a doorway opening and secured directly thereto, a threshold sill, a deep vertical plate interconnecting said and threshold sills and forming therewith a vertically deep beam extending through the threshold, said plate overlapping and being rigidly secured to the door posts, and a vertically deep floor beam having its end secured rigidly throughout a substantial part of the vertical extent of said vertically deep beamwhereby to stabilize the same. I

4. In a rail car construction, a bottom sill, a sill some distance above said bottom sill and at substantially the level of the floor of the car, posts at opposite sides of a doorway opening founded on one of said sills, a vertically deep plate inter connecting the sills and forming therewith a deep beam extending through the threshold, and a vertically deep floor beam between the posts having its end rigidly connected to the plate throughout a substantial part of its vertical extent where by to stabilize the same.

' FREDERICK L. GEARY. 

